A caramel apple board is the perfect fall treat with rich caramel and fun toppings. Picture the best part of a caramel apple, but displayed on a beautiful dessert board. It's a really fun way to serve dessert at fall gatherings that gets your guests involved, but keeps the atmosphere relaxed.
If you love caramel as much as I do, you should also check out my homemade bourbon caramel sauce recipe or my chocolate and caramel dipped pretzel rods.
Caramel Apple Board Summary
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: less than 5 minutes
- Servings: 8
- Main Ingredients: your favorite apples, lots of caramel, and your favorite caramel apple toppings.
- Why we love it: I can easily serve my friends and family all of the best parts of classic caramel apples in way less time. Everyone gets to have fun dipping apple slices in rich caramel and then dressing their apples up with their own toppings.
Summarize this Recipe for Me
Jump to:
- Caramel Apple Board Summary
- Why You Should Make a Caramel Apple Board
- Caramel Apple Board Ingredients
- Dessert Board Serving Supplies
- How to Assemble a Caramel Apple Board
- How to Prevent Apples from Turning Brown
- Homemade Caramel Recipe
- Saving Leftover Caramel and Toppings
- Caramel Apple Board FAQs
- More Fun Boards to Make
- Caramel Apple Board
Why You Should Make a Caramel Apple Board
I have never seen anyone disappointed by my caramel apple board. I started serving this as a dessert a few years ago and it always makes everyone happy. There are a lot of dessert recipes that don't quite turn out like the picture, but a caramel apple board is fool-proof. Just collecting the right ingredients and heating caramel is something everyone can do. If you want an easy dessert that feels special, make this board.
Caramel Apple Board Ingredients
There are no rules here. Grab your favorite toppings and have fun! You do not have to add all of these to your board. That would be crazy. And if I missed anything, definitely add your own favorites to the mix.
- 6 Apples- Granny Smith or Honey Crisp apples are ideal
- 1-1 ½ cups Caramel Dip or Homemade Caramel Sauce- I recommend Peter's Caramel which has the best flavor.
- Mini Chocolate Chips
- Mini M&Ms
- Crushed Oreo Cookies
- Crushed Graham Crackers
- Heath Toffee Pieces are the perfect crunchy addition and come in the perfect size
- Crushed Peanuts
- Flake Sea Salt (such as Malden's)
- Melted milk chocolate or white chocolate- Ghirardelli chocolate melts are my favorite.
Dessert Board Serving Supplies
- Large Board: it can be a wood charcuterie board, cutting board, or even a sheet pan
- Several Small Bowls for the toppings
- Medium microwave safe bowl for caramel and chocolate
- Wooden Skewers are optional, but a good idea for a party. If you are just making dessert for your family, these probably aren't necessary.
How to Assemble a Caramel Apple Board
Imagine we are making a caramel apple charcuterie board. You'll want to lay the board out with the melted caramel in the center of the board, toppings in small bowls throughout the board, and sliced apples to fill in the rest of the space.
Heat the caramel and chocolate in the microwave in 30-60 second intervals. Stir the caramel and chocolate between intervals.
It should take less than 2 minutes total to melt the caramel and the chocolate. Add to serving bowls and place on your board.
Add small bowls with each topping
Wash, dry and slice your apples. Do this as close to serving as possible so that they don't turn brown. Fit the apple slices around the toppings and don't leave any gaps.
How to Prevent Apples from Turning Brown
If you have a million things to do today and want to tackle the apples in advance, here's what you do. Wash and slice the apples. Then, add the apples to a bowl of cold water with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. This will prevent oxidation. After they soak for a few minutes, remove the apple slices, pat them completely dry with paper towels, and refrigerate until serving.
Homemade Caramel Recipe
There are two reasons to make your own caramel dip. First, it's much cheaper. Caramel has gotten so expensive, but the individual ingredients are not. Second, if you are feeling spontaneous and don't want to wait for an Amazon delivery or make a trip to the store, you can make this bourbon caramel sauce recipe in less than 20 minutes. Just leave out the bourbon if you don't want to add it.
Saving Leftover Caramel and Toppings
When you're all done enjoying the caramel apple slices, transfer the leftover toppings to an airtight container. Zip-top bags are a perfect for the toppings because they can just hang out in the pantry and don't need to be refrigerated.
Leftover store-bought caramel can be saved in an airtight container at room temperature. Homemade caramel sauce does need to be refrigerated. Use a glass snap ware containers so that you can easily reheat for a caramel board tomorrow or the next day.
Caramel Apple Board FAQs
After cutting your caramel apple slices, soak them in 4 cups of cold water with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice for five minutes. Drain the apple slices and dry. Refrigerate until serving.
Yes. Reheat the caramel in the microwave for 30 seconds and stir.
Wash the apples really well before slicing. Dry the apples completely with a paper towel to remove the waxy exterior. DO NOT remove the peel.
If you tried this Caramel Apple Board Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Caramel Apple Board
Equipment
- 2 Medium Glass Bowls 8 ounce
- 4 Small Glass Bowls 2-4 ounce
Ingredients
- 6 Granny Smith Apples
- 1 ½ cups Caramel Peter's Caramel Recommended
- ¾ cup Milk Chocolate Ghirardelli Melting Wafers
- ½ cup Mini M&Ms
- ½ cup Toffee Pieces
- 3 Oreos crushed into small pieces
- ¼ cup Mini Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Melt the caramel in a microwave-safe bowl for 60 seconds. Remove the caramel from the microwave, stir, and melt again for 30 seconds. Stir the caramel and repeat for another 30-second interval if necessary. Repeat process with chocolate melting wafers.
- Add bowls of melted caramel and milk chocolate to the center of your serving board.
- Prepare the candy toppings by filling individual bowls. Place them on the board as close to the caramel and milk chocolate as possible.
- Wash and slice apples. Add apples to the board. Make sure to fill in any empty space.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Angie says
This is so fun! Loved the YouTube video also. Def gonna grab some Peter’s caramel.